CELEBRATING 53,000 Classical CD reviews on-line (Sept 2016); 21,000 page views each day. Return to MusicWeb International
Janis, Horowitz and Lim in the Rachmaninoff Third
Posted by Chris Salocks on August 6, 2025, 7:01 pm
I'm a fan of Ralph Moore's reviews, and I was interested to see his interesting recent discussion of the phenomenal Yunchan Lim performance of the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto. My friend, Jon Nakamatsu, was there at the 2022 Cliburn Competition when Lim won the gold, although Nakamatsu was an online commentator at that time, rather than a judge as he was at the most recent "Cliburn 2025" a few months ago. He told me that, in his opinion, the 2023 Competition's winners consisted of Yunchan Lim, and then a BIG gap, and then the rest of the competitors. That's how good Lim was.
I'm sorry however that Decca decided to issue the actual competition performance of the Rachmaninoff, rather than investing in a studio production with another conductor, because Marin Alsop's contribution to this performance is remarkably anodyne IMHO.
OTOH, I'm glad that Ralph (may I call him Ralph, instead of Mr. Moore?) picked the Horowitz/Ormandy and Janis/Dorati recordings as comparisons, especially the latter, which IMHO is one of the most brilliant recordings the work has ever received. But I was surprised to see the statement in the review, "Janis. . . rattles through the concerto five or six minutes faster than either [Lim or Horowitz]". That difference in timing is accounted for by the fact that Janis takes cuts in the work (just as he did in his earlier recording with Munch). I don't want to lengthen this post too much by quoting chapter and verse here, but I'd be happy to post a follow-up if folks are interested.
In any case, taking cuts in this Concerto was much more common back in the 50's and 60's, and it's a comparatively recent phenomenon of the last few decades that almost every performance you now hear of the work is uncut. Indeed, the Horowitz recordings provide us with a panorama of the "performance practice" showing the extent to which cuts were phased out over the decades of the Concerto's performances: his early performance Coates was very heavily cut, while his later performance with Reiner was also cut (but not as much - about the same as the Janis performances), and his 70's performance with Ormandy is uncut (IIRC - I haven't heard it in awhile).
In any case, thanks to Ralph for the review and for his spelling of Rachmaninoff's name! After all, that was the way the composer spelled it himself!
Re: Janis, Horowitz and Lim in the Rachmaninoff Third
Many thanks, Chris, for the comments, kind words and the correction regarding the cuts in Janis' recording, of which I was unaware - and I will amend my review accordingly - although Janis' delivery is still very fleet and airy, no? Maybe Alsop's contribution is one of the factors behind why I find there to be a certain lack of "magic" in the recording of Lim's performance.
Previous Message
I'm a fan of Ralph Moore's reviews, and I was interested to see his interesting recent discussion of the phenomenal Yunchan Lim performance of the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto. My friend, Jon Nakamatsu, was there at the 2022 Cliburn Competition when Lim won the gold, although Nakamatsu was an online commentator at that time, rather than a judge as he was at the most recent "Cliburn 2025" a few months ago. He told me that, in his opinion, the 2023 Competition's winners consisted of Yunchan Lim, and then a BIG gap, and then the rest of the competitors. That's how good Lim was.
I'm sorry however that Decca decided to issue the actual competition performance of the Rachmaninoff, rather than investing in a studio production with another conductor, because Marin Alsop's contribution to this performance is remarkably anodyne IMHO.
OTOH, I'm glad that Ralph (may I call him Ralph, instead of Mr. Moore?) picked the Horowitz/Ormandy and Janis/Dorati recordings as comparisons, especially the latter, which IMHO is one of the most brilliant recordings the work has ever received. But I was surprised to see the statement in the review, "Janis. . . rattles through the concerto five or six minutes faster than either [Lim or Horowitz]". That difference in timing is accounted for by the fact that Janis takes cuts in the work (just as he did in his earlier recording with Munch). I don't want to lengthen this post too much by quoting chapter and verse here, but I'd be happy to post a follow-up if folks are interested.
In any case, taking cuts in this Concerto was much more common back in the 50's and 60's, and it's a comparatively recent phenomenon of the last few decades that almost every performance you now hear of the work is uncut. Indeed, the Horowitz recordings provide us with a panorama of the "performance practice" showing the extent to which cuts were phased out over the decades of the Concerto's performances: his early performance Coates was very heavily cut, while his later performance with Reiner was also cut (but not as much - about the same as the Janis performances), and his 70's performance with Ormandy is uncut (IIRC - I haven't heard it in awhile).
In any case, thanks to Ralph for the review and for his spelling of Rachmaninoff's name! After all, that was the way the composer spelled it himself!
Re: Janis, Horowitz and Lim in the Rachmaninoff Third
Horowitz makes a single cut in his Ormandy recording - in the first movement before RN 19, bars 9 and 10 (common to all his recordings). Apart from that, the Horowitz is uncut. Janis makes this cut, too - as he does one in the second movement and the standard cut after the Piu Mosso in the final movement. The Janis is just a very fleet performance in my view; I don't share your enthusiasm for it.
All three pianists use the shorter cadenza in the first movement, too - though I have heard Lim play the longer one in other performances of the 3rd.
My guess is Lim will reserve a studio recording of the 3rd as part of a complete cycle of the concerti. He already plays the 2nd and 4th (just heard at the Proms) so it probably makes sense to put them down as a complete set.
Previous Message
Many thanks, Chris, for the comments, kind words and the correction regarding the cuts in Janis' recording, of which I was unaware - and I will amend my review accordingly - although Janis' delivery is still very fleet and airy, no? Maybe Alsop's contribution is one of the factors behind why I find there to be a certain lack of "magic" in the recording of Lim's performance.
Previous Message
I'm a fan of Ralph Moore's reviews, and I was interested to see his interesting recent discussion of the phenomenal Yunchan Lim performance of the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto. My friend, Jon Nakamatsu, was there at the 2022 Cliburn Competition when Lim won the gold, although Nakamatsu was an online commentator at that time, rather than a judge as he was at the most recent "Cliburn 2025" a few months ago. He told me that, in his opinion, the 2023 Competition's winners consisted of Yunchan Lim, and then a BIG gap, and then the rest of the competitors. That's how good Lim was.
I'm sorry however that Decca decided to issue the actual competition performance of the Rachmaninoff, rather than investing in a studio production with another conductor, because Marin Alsop's contribution to this performance is remarkably anodyne IMHO.
OTOH, I'm glad that Ralph (may I call him Ralph, instead of Mr. Moore?) picked the Horowitz/Ormandy and Janis/Dorati recordings as comparisons, especially the latter, which IMHO is one of the most brilliant recordings the work has ever received. But I was surprised to see the statement in the review, "Janis. . . rattles through the concerto five or six minutes faster than either [Lim or Horowitz]". That difference in timing is accounted for by the fact that Janis takes cuts in the work (just as he did in his earlier recording with Munch). I don't want to lengthen this post too much by quoting chapter and verse here, but I'd be happy to post a follow-up if folks are interested.
In any case, taking cuts in this Concerto was much more common back in the 50's and 60's, and it's a comparatively recent phenomenon of the last few decades that almost every performance you now hear of the work is uncut. Indeed, the Horowitz recordings provide us with a panorama of the "performance practice" showing the extent to which cuts were phased out over the decades of the Concerto's performances: his early performance Coates was very heavily cut, while his later performance with Reiner was also cut (but not as much - about the same as the Janis performances), and his 70's performance with Ormandy is uncut (IIRC - I haven't heard it in awhile).
In any case, thanks to Ralph for the review and for his spelling of Rachmaninoff's name! After all, that was the way the composer spelled it himself!
Re: Janis, Horowitz and Lim in the Rachmaninoff Third
Thanks, Mark - I'd forgotten about Horowitz's cut of that little 2-measure repetition in the cadenza of the first movement.
I must say though that I do not share your dismissal of the Janis performance as "just a very fleet performance". To me, it's considerably more than that, especially with regard to the cultivation of a truly sophisticated tonal balance throughout the work, which not only makes the melodies sing as in few other performances, but also cuts through the often thick textures of Rachmaninoff's writing in this work in an almost miraculous way. Of course, it's too bad about the cuts in the Janis performances (which perhaps contribute to your impression of mere fleetness?). Well, as they say, de gustibus and all that.
BTW, I also prefer the shorter cadenza in the first movement. Not only is it the one Rachmaninoff used himself in his own recording, but the longer cadenza has such thick textures that the music's progress gets bogged down a bit, at least as I hear it - not to mention that, in its "Allegro molto" section, this longer cadenza shares the kind of writing one hears in the cadenza of the First Concerto - as if Rachmaninoff is repeating that same kind of musical gesture a bit too closely in the Third. Give me the shorter, simpler, less thick cadenza in the Third every time! ;-)
And yes, I hope you're correct about the likelihood of a possible Lim recording of all the Rachmaninoff works for piano and orchestra, with a more dynamic conductor on the podium!
Previous Message
Horowitz makes a single cut in his Ormandy recording - in the first movement before RN 19, bars 9 and 10 (common to all his recordings). Apart from that, the Horowitz is uncut. Janis makes this cut, too - as he does one in the second movement and the standard cut after the Piu Mosso in the final movement. The Janis is just a very fleet performance in my view; I don't share your enthusiasm for it.
All three pianists use the shorter cadenza in the first movement, too - though I have heard Lim play the longer one in other performances of the 3rd.
My guess is Lim will reserve a studio recording of the 3rd as part of a complete cycle of the concerti. He already plays the 2nd and 4th (just heard at the Proms) so it probably makes sense to put them down as a complete set.
Previous Message